Bookbinding



Patented Aug. 2, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 1 BOOKBINDING .7 ew-was Application April 1 5, 1936, Sea No. 74.475

I 2 olaimsfwl. 2 81'21 l)" This invention relates generally tobook making and repairing and book binding and more particularly to the repair and binding of books containing public records such as are found in the public offices of the recorder of deeds, mortgages, judgments and the like. These books are subject to constant use, which eventually breaks the leaves near the binding edge because of the frequent turning of the leaves.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a method and means for repairing broken leaves and rebinding the leaves so restored in a substantial but inexpensive manner, thereby rendering them fit for use without fur ther deterioration through a long period of time.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a method and means for repairing the leaves of a book so that they are stronger and more flexible and can withstand frequent turning of the leaves without appreciable wear for a longer period of time than a single continuous leaf could withstand.

Another object of this invention is the method and means for making up new ledgers or books that are intended to contain permanent records.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated a practical embodiment of the prin-' ciples of my invention:

Fig. l is a sectional view showing a leaf having its binding edge skived and having attached thereto a pair of binding strips which are skived.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a plurality of consecutive leaves of a book wherein each binding strip is fastened to the binding edges of adjacent leaves.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, I represents the leaf of a book. If this leaf has been removed from an old book its binding edge 2 is trimmed sufficiently to remove that part thereof that was touched by the old glue or was frail, worn or broken due to flexing when in use; 3 represents the binder strips which are overlapped on the leaf and pasted, glued or otherwise secured thereto. These strips 3 arepreferably made of high grade paper, fabric, or other flexible material of one-half the thickness of the leaf I, or less.

The width of the strips is determined by the character of book being bound or repaired. In some instances it is desirable to provide a considerable space between the joint of the strips and the leaves and the bound edges of the strips. Strips of this character have appreciable width.

Again in repairing old books wherein the leaves are badly worn, due tothe constant'flexing and turning of the leaves, a considerable amount of the binding edge of the leaves must be cut off, thus necessitating the use of wide binder strips to maintain the free edges of the worn leaves in their proper position in the book. Thus it has been found that the leaves of some portions of an old book require Wider strips than the leaves of other portions of the same book. In such instances the width of the binder strips must conform to the specific requirement depending upon the condition of the book.

However in any case the binder strips are re quired to assume the flexing action of the leaves in a bound book as they are turned when in use.

The binding edge 2 of the leaf I is skived as shown at 4 and the strips 3 are secured to the skived portion. This arrangement materially reduces the thickness of the book at the joint between the leaves and the strips.

To avoid any extra thickness at the joint between the strips'and the leaves it is preferable to skive the binding edge of the leaves I and one edge of the binder strips 3 as shown on the drawing. The strips being substantially one-half the thickness of the leaves provide a smooth even joint with the leaves and do not add any additional thickness to the book at any part thereof.

These styles of binding leaves are preferably advantageous in making up record books of the loose leaf type.

In building up a new book or repairing an old one that is to be bound in a permanent book it is sometimes desirable to employ the folded binder strips 5, the opposite edges of which are skived on the same side of the strip. The skived edges are then secured to the skived edges of adjacent leaves as shown in Fig. 2. If the leaves are all of the same width then the strips may be made up in equal widths. However if some of the leaves are narrower than others or if it is desirable to stagger the joints between the strips and the leaves of consecutive leaves or groups of leaves, then the strips may be made up in varying widths to suit the purpose in view. In any instance the folded edge of the strips 5 connecting two consecutive leaves are properly arranged and provide an ideal means for permanently stitching and binding them in book form.

In these methods of securing the binder strips to the leaves each leaf is provided with two strips which are substantially one-half the thickness of the leaves or less. These strips are independently secured to the leaf and are in no way secured or glued to one another. Thus in the flexing or the turning of the leaf in a book both of the strips act as a hinge and one is permitted to slide over the other which provides the flexibility in the hinge of the page where it is most needed and desired without detracting from its strength, as the two strips together provide substantially the same amount of paper as in the leaf itself.

In the book repairing art single binder strips of the same and of one-half the thiclmess of the leaves have been used and found successful. However, the former is not as flexible as the latter and the latter is not as strong as the former. In this invention I provide both the required flexibility and the strength .by employing two entirely independent binder strips for each book leaf.

After the binding edges of the leaves have been I prepared the binder strips are secured. thereto.

joint will be found. The leaves to be made up in book form are then properly arranged with the joints in vertical or staggered relation as the case may be and the free end of the strips are then trimmed if necessary to provide a uniform binding edge after which they are perforated or sewed or otherwise bound in permanent or loose leaf backs.

I claim:

1. The combination with a .book leaf having its binder edge portion skived, of a pair of binder strips each of substantially one-half the thick- .ness of the leaf and having their edge portions similarly skived and secured to opposite faces of the ski-ved edge portion of the leaf, said strips being free from each other but lying in surface contact with each other.

with each other.

JAMES W. WARD. 

